1. Field of the invention
The invention concerns an installation for the automatic assembly of a window frame fitting constituting a locking device, in particular a side locking device designed to be mounted on opening frames of tilt/turn windows.
2. Description of the Prior art
This fitting serves to increase the number of points at which a tilt/turn window can be locked by providing locking rollers on the bottom crossmember and/or the rear upright of the opening frame. Using this locking device, the movements of the links (front vertical espagnolette bolt and top horizontal strap) operated by the handle of the lock, are transmitted to the crossmembers and the uprights of the opening frame.
Striking boxes mounted on the bottom crossmember or on the upright of the fixed frame cooperate with the locking roller(s). The side lock comprises one or two locking rollers, depending on the size of the window.
To facilitate a better understanding of the invention, the fitting constituting the side lock is shown in FIG. 1.
The side lock 1 essentially comprises an angle-bracket 2, usually of brass, a strap 7, a link 8 and a locking roller 10.
The angle-bracket 2 has a lipped U-shape cross-section forming a guide rail for a spring assembly 4 preferably comprising a bundle of leaf springs transmitting the sliding motion of the links around the corner of the opening frame. One end of this bundle of leaf springs 4 carries an attachment pin 5 for coupling the fitting 1 to the link of another fitting. The pin 5 is held in an orifice in the leaf springs 4 by riveting it at R2 into a spacer 6. The other end of the bundle of leaf springs 4 carries a pin 9 on the open side of the rail to which one end of the link 8 is riveted at R5. Finally, the angle-bracket comprises a locking pin 3 riveted at R1 at a point near its free end. The angle-bracket 2 provided in this way with the (usually steel) leaf springs 4 constitutes a "corner turner". The corner turner is fixed (usually welded) to a strap 7 and in the case of the present invention it is riveted at R3, R4 into recesses on the strap 7. The link 8 slides on the strap 7. It is riveted at R5 to the pin 9 at one end and is acted on by a leaf spring 11 at a point near its other end. Near this latter end the link 8 has riveted to it at R6 the locking roller 10 designed to cooperate with a striking box on the fixed frame and extending through an oblong aperture in the strap. The spring 11 is usually a simple leaf spring held onto the strap 7 by two pins riveted to the latter. In accordance with the invention, and in order to facilitate automatic assembly, the spring is a perforated omega-shaped leaf spring whose ends bear on the strap 7, as shown in FIG. 1, directly at one end and through an oblong orifice in the link 8 at the other end. It is riveted at R7 into two recesses on the strap 7.
If the opening frame is large, more than one (usually two) locking rollers 10 and the corresponding number of pressure springs 11 may be provided along the strap 7 and the link 8.
At present, such side locking devices are manufactured on assembly lines on which each assembly operation is carried out manually.
The invention proposes a system suitable for the automatic assembly of side lock fittings for window frames, especially for tilt/turn windows.
The successive manual assembly operations result in high production costs because of the large number of handling operations and the time wasted in taking up, positioning and assembling the parts. What is more, the assembly time is inherently dependent on the know-how and dexterity of the operator, leading to significant variations in manufacturing cycles and quality, which compromise productivity and profitability. The operator has to take one or two basic parts from receptacles (in which they are stored loose in bulk per category), fit them together by hand, insert the assembly into a riveting tool to make the riveted joint and then check for correct execution.
These operations are time-consuming and awkward because of their repetitive nature and soon lead to significant reduction in yield.
An object of the present invention is therefore to remedy these disadvantages and to this end the invention concerns an installation in which all the various assembly operations are automated and integrated into a continuous process.